On the Airwaves: Daish slams League for forcing them to play twice in 43 hours

EBBSFLEET UNITED boss Liam Daish slammed League officials for forcing his side to play two away games in the space of just 43 hours.

The Fleet came away from Crawley Town with a 2-1 victory in front of the Setanta Sports television cameras on Thursday night, and although the Sussex side were expected to play* their home game against Kidderminster Harriers today, the Kent side were forced to travel down to Torquay United yesterday.

And Daish blamed their 3-1 defeat in Devon for having to play twice in a very short space of time.

“Yes, I think there was a bit of fatigue in it, not just physically but you also get the mental side of it as well,” Daish told Mike Green from BBC Radio Kent.

“This is a place to come when you need everything, you need full pelt.

“You need to be physically right at it and mentally and anything less it can get, it’s going to get hard work.

“I’ve just told the lads there, I’ve got the utmost admiration and respect for the players but I don’t think we’ve been given the respect as a team, as a football club, by making us play a game of this high intensity 43 hours after a game. It’s not an excuse. It’s fact!

Daish added: “This is their livelihoods, no-one else are you asked to play two games in 43 hours. I’m not asking for any favours, I just want a bit of common sense.”

Second placed Torquay are now just three points behind Aldershot Town with one game in hand in the Blue Square Premier table, but Daish expressed his feelings on the game itself.

“I thought we gifted them really two goals and get them back at 2-1 I thought we were right in it, could have easily gone on and got something,” he said.

“I’ve looked at Torquay, what their three points off top, if their second best team in the league, I don’t think we’re not far off, off them.

“And I think we would have given them, with better preparation, regarding the intensity of the game so close together.

“I think we would have taken the game to them and maybe, you never know, might have got something more.

“This is a tough place to play when you’ve got a whole week’s preparation - not just 43 hours!”

* - UPDATED

Crawley's Blue Square Premier match at home against Kidderminster was postponeded because of a frozen pitch.

The problem was caused by a part of the pitch not being given the chance to thaw as it was in shadow from one of the stands at the Broadfield Stadium.

The game, scheduled for a 1400 GMT kick-off, was called off at noon, but not in time to stop Harriers fans from travelling.

The match is yet to be rescheduled for a new date.

CHAMPIONS-ELECT Dover Athletic moved ten points clear at the top of the Ryman League Division One South table, but their 2-0 victory at strugglers Corinthian-Casuals came at a cost.

“Unfortunately for us we lost a couple of players through injury,” revealed Whites player-boss Andy Hessenthaler, when interviewed by Matt Davison on BBC Radio Kent.

“Frannie Collin with a hamstring and Lee Browning’s gone off to hospital with a suspended broken leg so it’s a blow for us today as much as it was a good win, we’ve had a bit of a blow with the two injuries.”

He added: “We’ve still got good players at the club, good players in the squad, so we’ll just have to juggle the pack a little bit.”

Expressing his thoughts on the actual game, Hessenthaler was pleased that his side came away from Tolworth with all three points in the bag.

“It wasn’t pretty but sometimes you can’t be when you go away from home,” he said. “Very, very difficult pitch and we played to the pitch really. We just got long balls forward quite quickly into the final third and played from there.

“I’t wasn’t pretty but sometimes we have to be like that when we come away from home.

“But all in all, pleased with the boys’ effort again. It’s another clean sheet as well, that’s only two we’ve conceded in eight matches and that’s another two goals. I can’t ask for anymore from them at the moment.”

Second placed Tooting & Mitcham United are feeling the pressure of Dover Athletic’s excellent run of form - losing 1-0 at home to play-off chasing Sittingbourne.

And Dover Athletic travel to Imperial Fields - backed by fans taking advantage of the chairman’s offer of FREE coach travel - in two weeks time.

With a ten point lead with eleven games to go, Hessenthaler looks set to bring the title to Crabbe.

But he warned: “Eleven games to go so we can’t talk about we’ve wrapped it up at all yet.

“There’s a long way to go and we’ve still got to go to Tooting in a couple of weeks (Saturday, 1^st March - a game covered by www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

"There's lots of supporters who are looking forward to that game. There’s a lot of interest in that game, they’re a very strong side, obviously we are ourselves.

“They slipped up today but it’s going to be a really big game and if we go there and win things are really looking bright for us.”

GARY ABBOTT hailed his Sittingbourne side after they kept their play-off hopes alive with their 1-0 win at under pressure Tooting & Mitcham United. 

Now eighth in the Ryman League Division One South table, the Bourne Park outfit reignited their play-off chances, courtesy of Bradley Spice’s eleventh goal of the season after 64 minutes - he also had a first half penalty saved.

“We played a (Sittingbourne) team that was going out there to win and we thoroughly deserved it,” beamed Abbott when interviewed by Matt Davison on BBC Radio Kent.

“It could have been four or five nil, would have been fully deserved I think. They can’t argue with that!

“We were solid from the front and all over the park and we fully deserved it.”

He added: “I thought everyone, the team we picked was the team to go out there and beat them and we beat them and throughout deserved it.”

The Brickies are just one point adrift of the final play-off berth, and they have twelve games remaining to fulfil their ambitions of joining Dover Athletic in the Ryman Premier League.

“I want the play-off’s but to be honest with you we try not to talk about it,” he said.

“At the minute we’re trying to take each game as it comes and see where it takes us so today’s helped us in a big way.”

He added: “Everyone will look at the result and think Sittingbourne are going to be there or there abouts.”

MARGATE maintained their own play-off aspirations of their own, winning their Ryman Premier League clash against Staines Town 3-1 at Hartsdown Park, despite going a goal down to a penalty.

James Pinnock took his goalscoring tally to nineteen for the season with a brace plus Jimmy Jackson’s second ensured Robin Trott’s men kept their play-off hopes alive.

Despite being in ninth place - one below Thanet rivals Ramsgate - Trott’s men are only three points behind faltering Hendon, who lost at Maidstone United.

Trott, when speaking to Matt Davison on BBC Radio Kent, was pleased that his side bounced back after defeats against Hastings United and Tonbridge Angels.

He said: “It was better than the last two games performance wise. They sort of grounded it out but very deservedly - we deserved the win.

“The last two weeks has been a lesson for us as well, we’ve took it for granted of playing teams in lesser positions and sort of strolled out there, which is not good enough.

“We seem to play well against the good top teams and other teams we seem to falter.

“But we just deserved the win, we should have got a couple more.

“Yes, I’m happy we’ve got the three points but still disappointed about the last two weeks but we’re still in with a shout (of getting into the play-off’s), just pleased about the boy’s performance.”

And finishing in those play-off’s places is what Trott wants.

“It’s always been our aim,” he said. “We’ve been marred with injuries this year, right unbelievable really but we seem to be back to training with us, which is great to see.

“I think it lifts up the boys heads and it’s a bit of competition for them.

“When they think they will play week in week out they get a bit laxidacical, (but competition) gives them a kick up the backside.”

BROMLEY player-manager Simon Osborn made three changes to the side that lost heavily at Hayes & Yeading last weekend.

And he was rewarded as his side secured a 3-1 win over Weston-super-Mare at Hayes Lane, a result that has them four points outside the final play-off berth.

“I just changed it around a little bit from last week to try and make it a little more solid and bring a bit more energy back into the side and they don’t that,” he told Matt Davison of BBC Radio Kent.

“I think it was a massive improvement from last weekend and I felt in the second half we gave up the ghost a little bit and that’s disappointing for me.

“But today I thought we played really well at times. We showed some real endeavour, some enthusiasm and that’s all you can ask for as a manager at certain times.

“We done that and got two really good goals in the first half, so I was pleased.”

With strikers Danny Hockton (21 goals), Nick McDonnell (12) and Gareth Williams (19) impressing up front, Osborn highlighted his side’s defensive problems.

“The problem that we’ve had this season is our inconsistency at the back,” he said. “We’ve conceded too many goals but that’s something that we’re working on and put right.”

And he added: “I’m pleased with the result and pleased with the response I got.”

Listen to BBC Radio Kent on 96.7FM or via their website at www.bbc.co.uk/kent